NEWCASTLE, Maine — Maine’s newest national monument is now open for visitors following an official federal designation in December.
The Frances Perkins National Monument represents a years-long effort by historians and others to honor Perkins, the first female cabinet secretary in American history.
Perkins served as secretary of labor under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is widely credited with urging the president to create Social Security.
She also played a key role in many of the protections Americans enjoy today, such as the minimum wage, child labor laws and overtime provisions, said Amanda Hatch, acting executive director of the Frances Perkins Center.
“Some of them were at the national level but she was even making some policy changes at the state level earlier in her career,” Hatch said. “When she worked in New York state government she was able to pass some laws related to fire safety and worker protections.”
After an all-out lobbying effort, President Joe Biden in December signed an official declaration transforming the home from a local landmark to a federally protected site. His decision followed an in-person visit by then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
“Thank you all so much for the work you are doing to make sure that not only Mainers, but all Americans can know about Frances Perkins and her incredible legacy of respect, fairness and equity for workers in America and a work ethic that ensured that she was putting America first,” Haaland said to dozens who gathered at the property to share personal stories about the impact of Perkins.
The designation followed a directive by Biden to seek out more historical sites to honor the contributions of women.
And while it is now a federal property, a nonprofit called the Frances Perkins Center is providing the staff, exhibits and programming at the site, Hatch said.
Perkins was born in Boston in 1880 and raised in Massachusetts. She was very close to her grandmother, Cynthia Otis Perkins, for whom the Maine homestead was built in 1837.
While Perkins lived in New York City and Washington, D.C., she often spent time in Maine.
“She got to really disconnect and get away from her professional life,” Hatch said. “She could come to this family homestead in Newcastle and recharge and rest, really reflect and take some quiet time she wouldn’t necessarily get elsewhere in her life.”
The site is free to visit and features a welcome center exhibit and informational panels in the barn that describes Perkins initiatives. The house is not currently open to the public while the contents are archived.
The exhibits are open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with walking trails on the property open daily. The site is located at 478 River Road in Newcastle.
“If folks haven’t heard of Frances Perkins or have heard only the bare minimum about her, we really hope they take the time to walk through the exhibit to read all of the panels and to really understand where she came from, what she was able to accomplish and how that is impacting Americans’ lives today,” Hatch said.
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